“It’s a dream come true,” NATTI NATASHA tells Apple Music about her new album, produced by bachata icon Romeo Santos. “When Aventura came out, I was in Santiago, in the Dominican Republic, going to school when this whole movement happened. It was just daily in my life; it was cultura.” Though Natti Natasha en Amargue benefits greatly from their respective histories with the genre, the two Dominican superstars found success together before, joining forces in 2019 for a “La Mejor Versión De Mi” remix that stormed the charts globally. Written by Santos with NATASHA in mind, these 10 original songs expand not only on that hit collaboration, but also upon the handful of bachata tracks found on her earlier albums, namely “Quién Sabe” and “Cuento Breve.” Though much of the album was made during the pandemic years—overlapping her pregnancy and her partner Raphy Pina’s incarceration—it arrives at a time of increased enthusiasm for the genre, with artists both from and beyond the island and its NYC diaspora actively exploring the sound. As such, this sincere and authentic effort from someone with genuine musical and cultural connections to it stands out in the best way. Those who know NATASHA primarily from her reggaetón smashes may feel compelled to shift preexisting perceptions of her, while dedicated fans of both her and Santos’ work will find much to enjoy and celebrate. “There's so much faith around it,” she says. “I’m doing something for my roots, for my culture, for Dominicans, for Latinos.” Read on to learn about some of NATTI NATASHA’s favorite songs from Natti Natasha en Amargue—in her own words. “Desde Hoy” “It’s the one that started everything. It’s so amazingly powerful. Reinventing yourself, reinventing your universe, reinventing your surroundings—this is what this album means. It cannot get more raw than this. I cannot go more to my roots than this. I feel like everybody, at a certain point in their lives, want to reinvent themselves. It’s not easy to do in a day; it’s a process. And the music, insane. It never stops. It’s very passionate.” “Tu Loca” “We’ve never heard a woman [in bachata] from this perspective. At the end of the day, nobody’s perfect, and we all have our insecurities. It’s coming from a place where you’re like, ‘I love you. Sometimes I feel a little bit iffy when a girl gets in your face.’ I’m not going to talk for everybody, but I feel like we’ve all had that little moment in our lives. It definitely is one of my favorite songs.” “Quiéreme Menos” “It’s so personal to me, on another level. Sometimes I can’t even talk about it that much. When you know you love someone, you accept each other for what you are. Then this person leaves, right? I kept working. My baby was my biggest inspiration ever. It’s about how everything was running so smooth and then, shabam—and then all you have is love to really keep this relationship alive. Two-and-a-half years is hard. And it’s like, I am going to wait for this person. I’m going to love this person regardless, because I know that what God has for us is way bigger than anything else. We actually did the video when [Pina] came out, which was insane too. When I was recording this song, four years ago, I didn’t know that it was going to mean so much now.” “Escasez de Besos” “[Romeo] was there in every single line that I recorded, every single line. There’s no AC in the studio, he stays. He’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to leave?’ I’m like, ‘No, I am staying there.’ You don’t get Romeo twice in your life, with the vibe in the studio. I remember with “Escasez de Besos,” he wanted each word to be said in a certain way. His vocals are to die for, honestly. Who doesn’t love a Romeo vocal on their song? It’s a privilege for me. It is definitely one of the strongest songs.” “Ya No Comparto” (feat. Ozuna) “It’s obvious that we have great chemistry—everybody knows that. We also have a very good relationship. I’m here with my huge belly listening to the demo of the song and the vocals that I had already recorded for it. We just started imagining [Ozuna’s] voice there. He got there the same night, in Miami. I was so grateful being in this room with no AC, eating Chinese food, pregnant, just hanging with the guys. We were able to sit down and enjoy what we were doing and just enjoy the presence of everyone. He sounds so good in bachata—his vocals, the air, the energy, everything.” “Pinocchio” “It’s about all these lies and how we’re attracted to the illusion of the person that we’re dating. You discover the person’s true intention. Sometimes we fall in love, in life, with the illusion of things, and to me, this song represents that. When we were in the studio, we all came to the same conclusion. I think everyone has gone through that in life, not only in love, but in general. But it goes either way. For men, they go through that with women. When I do the songs, I don’t only go for one side of the story. There’s men that are beautiful, that have this great heart that go through these heartbreaks.”